Range and Notification System, and Associated Method

ABSTRACT

An improved cooking range includes an improved notification system that is configured to detect an operated state of the range and to periodically output a notification representative of a duration of time that the range has remained in the operated state. The notification may include the audible outputting of an sound tag representative of one or more spoken words that indicate a duration of time that the apparatus has remained in the operated state and/or an operational level of the range. The notification system can additionally be configured to detect a predetermined condition such as a flame or an excessive ambient temperature in the vicinity of the range and output an audible and/or visible warning notification. The notification system can be built into the range or can be in the form of a system that can be retrofitted to an existing range. The system enhances operational safety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to notificationsystems and, more particularly, to a notification system for use inconjunction with a cooking range, and an associated method.

2. Related Art

Numerous types of devices are employed in the cooking and preparation offood and drink. Many such devices generate heat from an energy sourcesuch as natural gas, electricity, biomass, and the like. Devices of thistype can include ovens, cooktops, ranges (which typically include bothan oven and a cooktop), grilles, and hotplates, by way of example. Acooktop typically includes a number of burners that are employed to heatpots, pans, and the like. While such cooking devices have been generallyeffective for their intended purposes, they have not been withoutlimitation.

For devices that generate heat, dangers have always existed with regardto the use of such heat. For example, kitchen towels, wooden spoons, andother combustible material can come into contact with a burner and canbe ignited. Another danger exists due to the prolonged application ofsuch heat which can cause the drying of an otherwise non-combustiblefood, such as if pasta is boiled in an amount of water which, if boiledfor a very extended period of time, may completely evaporate and allowcombustion of the dried pasta in the environment of the operatingburner. Other danger exists from the prolonged application of heat, suchas the possible burning of food and the resultant generation of smoke,which can cause respiratory distress and damage. Such burning can alsoarise merely through the application of an inappropriate high level ofheat for a relatively short period of time to an article being cooked.Another danger exists with the splattering of grease, by way of example,such as when cooking bacon, whereby the grease is highly combustiblewhen in a liquefied or evaporated state and may come into contact withan operating burner and cause a fire. Other dangers associated withcooking will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art.Such possible dangers are exacerbated due to inattention by the cook ordistraction of the cook. The dangers can also be exacerbated if the cookis hearing impaired, vision impaired, or is otherwise impaired, even ifonly temporarily.

Since the cooking of food is an activity typically engaged in regularlyby nearly everyone, it would be desirable to mitigate at least some ofthe dangers inherent in such activities.

SUMMARY

An improved cooking range includes an improved notification system thatis configured to detect an operated state of the range and toperiodically output a notification representative of a duration of timethat the range has remained in the operated state. The notification mayinclude the audible outputting of an sound tag representative of one ormore spoken words that indicate a duration of time that the apparatushas remained in the operated state and/or an operational level of therange. The notification system can additionally be configured to detecta predetermined condition such as a flame or an excessive ambienttemperature in the vicinity of the range and output an audible and/orvisible warning notification. The notification system can be built intothe range or can be in the form of a system that can be retrofitted toan existing range. The system enhances the operational safety of arange.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is toprovide an improved method of providing an indication regarding anoperated state of an apparatus such as a cooking range by detecting theexistence of the operated state and periodically outputting anotification representative of the duration of time that the apparatushas remained in the operated state.

Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide anotification system that performs such a method.

Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide acooking range or other device that includes such a notification system.

Other aspects of the disclosed and claimed concept are provided by animproved method of providing an indication regarding an apparatus thatis structured to be switched between one state and an operated state.The method can be generally stated as including detecting that theapparatus has been switched to the operated state and/or detecting thatthe apparatus is in the operated state, and periodically outputting anotification representative of a duration of time that the apparatus hasremained in the operated state.

Other aspects of the disclosed and claimed concept are provided by animproved notification system for use in conjunction with an apparatusthat is structured to be switched between one state and an operatedstate. The notification system can be generally stated as including aprocessor apparatus, an input apparatus, and an output apparatus. Theprocessor apparatus can be generally stated as including a processor anda storage. The input apparatus is structured to provide input signals tothe processor apparatus, and the output apparatus is structured toreceive output signals from the processor apparatus. The storage hasstored therein a number of routines which, when executed on theprocessor, cause the notification system to perform certain operations.The operations can be generally stated as including detecting that theapparatus has been switched to the operated state and/or detecting thatthe apparatus is in the operated state, and periodically outputting anotification representative of a duration of time that the apparatus hasremained in the operated state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the disclosed and claimed concept can begained from the following Description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective depiction of an exemplary cooking range inaccordance with the disclosed and claimed concept that includes anotification system in accordance with the disclosed and claimedconcept;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the notification system;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting certain aspects of an improved methodthat can be performed on the range of FIG. 1 using the notificationsystem of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective depiction of an improved range in accordancewith a second embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept;

FIG. 5 is a depiction of an existing range retrofitted with an improvednotification system in accordance with a third embodiment of thedisclosed and claimed concept;

FIG. 6 is a schematic depiction of a portion of the notification systemof FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view of an improved notification system in accordance with afourth embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept that can beretrofitted to an existing range;

FIG. 8 is a schematic depiction of a portion of the notification systemof FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic depiction of another portion of the notificationsystem of FIG. 7.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.

DESCRIPTION

An improved range 4 in accordance with a first embodiment of thedisclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in FIG. 1. The range4 is a cooking range used for the cooking of food and the like, and itadvantageously includes a notification system 8 in accordance with thedisclosed and claimed concept, which is depicted in a schematic fashionin FIG. 2. In the exemplary first embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, thenotification system 8 is incorporated into the range 4 and thus is notdepicted in FIG. 1 as being a separate component. The notificationsystem 8 advantageously outputs on at least a periodic basis anotification that is representative of at least a duration of time thatthe range 4 has remained in an operated state.

Specifically, and as is generally understood in the relevant art, therange 4 can be switched between one state, such as an OFF state or anIDLE or PILOT state, and an OPERATED state wherein the range 4 iscapable of heating or cooking food, boiling water, etc. The exemplaryrange 4 includes a cooktop 12 having a plurality of burners 16A, 16B,16C, and 16D, and further includes an oven 20. The burners 16A-D areoperated by a corresponding set of controllers 24A-D, and the oven 20 isoperated by a controller 28. The controllers 24A-D are each in theexemplary form of a rotatable knob that is mounted on a rotatable inputshaft of a control element such as a natural gas valve, a rotationalinput sensor, a rheostat, a variable capacitor, etc., and the like whichenable the user to control the operational level of the burners 16A-Dand the oven 20. In general, the controllers 24A-D enable theoperational level of the burners 16A-D to be controlled among levelssuch as LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH and at levels therebetween. The controller28 typically enables a user to control an operating temperature of theinterior of the oven 20 in degrees Fahrenheit or Centigrade. Dependingupon the rotational position of the controllers 24A-C and 28, thecorresponding burners 16A-D and/or the oven 20 operate at specificoperational levels, and it is understood that the range 4 thus cansimultaneously operate at multiple operational levels when one or moreof the burners 16A-D are operating at different levels and/or when theoven 20 is operated at a given temperature while one or more of theburners 16A-D is also operated.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the notification system 8 can be said toinclude an input apparatus 32, a processor apparatus 36, and an outputapparatus 40. The input apparatus 32 provides input signals to theprocessor apparatus 36, and the processor apparatus 36 provides outputsignals to the output apparatus 40. The exemplary notification system 8further includes a wireless transceiver apparatus 42 that is connectedwith the processor apparatus 36 and is in communication with any of avariety of wireless devices remote thereto, as will be set forth ingreater detail below. Depending upon the particular implementation, atransmitter component of the wireless transceiver apparatus 42 can beconsidered to be a part of the output apparatus 40, and a receivercomponent of the wireless transceiver apparatus 42 can be considered tobe a part of the input apparatus 32.

In the exemplary depicted embodiment, the input apparatus 32 includes aplurality of rotational position sensors 44A, 44B, 44C, and 44D whicheach correspond with a corresponding one of the controllers 24A-D, andthe input apparatus 32 additionally includes a rotational positionsensor 44E with corresponds the controller 28. The rotational positionsensors 44A-E can be any of a wide variety of known devices which enablethe processor apparatus 36 to determine a current rotational position ofone of the controllers 24A-D and 28 or to detect a rotational movementof one of the controllers 24A-D and 28 from a first rotational positionto a second rotational position, or both. The detection of such arotational position and/or rotational movement enable the processorapparatus 36 to determine a current operational level of the burners16A-D and/or the oven 20.

The exemplary input apparatus 32 further includes a plurality ofphysical contact sensors 46A, 46B, 46C, and 46D which each correspondwith a corresponding one of the controllers 24A-D, and the inputapparatus 32 additionally includes a physical contact sensor 46E withcorresponds the controller 28. The physical contact sensors 46A, 46B,46C, 46D, and 46E can be any of a wide variety of known devices whichenable the processor apparatus 36 to detect that someone such as a cookhas physically touched or otherwise physically contacted one of thecontrollers 24A-D and/or the controller 28. By way of example, thephysical contact sensors 46A-E might each include a capacitive elementwhich detects a touch contact or other contact.

The input apparatus 32 further includes a temperature sensor 48 and aflame detector 52. The temperature sensor 48 can be any of a widevariety of temperature-sensitive devices such as a thermocouple, athermister, or any of a wide variety of such devices. The flame detector52 can likewise be any of a variety of flame detection devices such as aUV flame detector, an IR flame detector, and the like withoutlimitation. The temperature sensor 48 and the flame detector 52 aredepicted in FIG. 1 as being situated at an exterior surface of the range4 in order to detect in the vicinity of the range 4 the existence of apredetermined condition such as an ambient temperature in excess of apredetermined value or a fire, by way of example. It is noted, however,that the temperature sensor 48 and the flame detector 52 may be hiddenfrom view in other embodiments that are not expressly depicted herein.

The processor apparatus 36 can be seen in FIG. 2 as including aprocessor 56 and a storage 60 that are in operative communication withone another. The processor 56 can be any of a wide variety of processorssuch as a microprocessor, and the like, and the storage 60 can be anytype of electronic or other type of memory such as, without limitation,RAM, ROM, EPROM, FLASH, and the like that can have stored therein dataand/or instructions that are executable on the processor 56. The storage60 has one or more routines 64 stored therein which, when executed onthe processor 56, cause the notification system 8 and the range 4 toperform certain operations such as detecting an operated state of therange 4 and outputting an indication of a duration of time that therange 4 has been in the operated state. The notification can alsoinclude the operational level of the range 4 and/or other information.Other operations can include detecting a touch input on one or more ofthe controllers 24A-D and 28 and providing a responsive output asdescribed below.

The storage 60 further has stored therein one or more sound tags thatare indicated generally at the numeral 68 and that are representative ofone or more spoken words when audibly output by the output apparatus 40.That is, the sound tags 68 are stored in the form of data and includevarious sound tags 68 that are representative of the spoken words thatcorrespond with numbers such as “three”, “hundred”, “fifty”, “ninety”,and the like, and spoken words such as “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”,“burner”, “oven”, “OFF” “LOW”, “MEDIUM”, “degrees”, “minutes”,“warning”, “fire”, “temperature”, and the like. The routines 64 cancombine the sound tags 68 in any combination to form expression such as“oven, three hundred fifty degrees, ninety minutes” which can be outputin an audible fashion by the output apparatus 40 and which the userperceives as spoken words.

By way of further example, the processor 56 can detect with one of thephysical contact sensors 46A-E a touch input on one of the controllers24A-D and 28, and the routines 64 can cause the audible outputting of astring of sound tags 68 that are representative of the operationalstatus of the one of the controllers 24A-D and 28 that was the subjectof the touch input. For instance, in response to a touch input, theoutput apparatus 40 may output a string of sound tags 68 that arerepresentative of words such as “right front burner, OFF”. This willassist a visually impaired individual in operating the range 4 becauseit enables the individual to know the identity of a given controller24A-D or 28 without having to turn on the controller 24A-D or 28 toascertain its identity. Moreover, if the given controller 24A-D or 28 isin an operational state, the output apparatus 40 could indicate thiswith a string of sound tags 68 in response to a touch input. Forexample, in response to a touch input the output apparatus 40 mightprovide an audible output of “left rear burner, LOW, two minutes”. Suchaudible outputs in response to touch inputs of the controllers 24A-D and28 helps an individual to know the operational status of the range 4 andthe identities of its control elements merely by touching thecontrollers 24A-D and 28.

In the exemplary embodiment depicted herein, the output apparatus 40includes a loudspeaker 72, although other types of output elements suchas visual display elements including warning lights, numerical displays,etc., and other types of audible output elements such as sirens, alarmbells, and the like can be employed depending upon the needs of theparticular application. As suggested above, the sound tags 68 can beprocessed on the processor apparatus 36 to cause the speaker 72 toprovide audible output that is representative of one or more spokenwords which are representative of an operated state and/or anoperational level of the range 4.

The output apparatus 40 further includes an actuator apparatus 74 thatincludes a number of actuators that can operate various connecteddevices. As employed herein, the expression “a number of” and variationsthereof shall refer broadly to any non-zero quantity, including aquantity of one. By way of example, the range 4 further includes autility shutoff 78 and a fire extinguisher 82 that are connected withthe actuator apparatus 74 and can be triggered by the actuators of theactuator apparatus 74 in response to any of a number of predeterminedevents. The range 4 may additionally be set up such that actuators ofthe actuator apparatus 74 can control the controllers 24A-D and 28.

For instance, the utility shutoff 74 may include a gas shutoff valve ifthe range 4 operates on gas and/or can include an electrical shutoffswitch if the range 4 operates on electricity. It is understood thatsome ranges include both gas burners and an electrically heated oven, byway of example, and thus might employ both a gas shutoff valve and anelectrical shutoff switch. The utility shutoff 74 may include poweredstructures, such as an electrically or otherwise powered gas valve thatcan be closed to stop the flow of gas to the range 4 or a powered set ofelectrical contacts that can be separated to stop the delivery ofelectrical power to the range 4. Alternatively or additionally, such autility shutoff 74 might employ a spring-energized system that employsone or more deflected springs which, when released, will stop the flowof gas and/or the delivery of electrical power to the range 4. Suchsprings could be released on command by an actuator of the actuatorapparatus 74 in response to any of a number of predetermined conditions.By way of further example, the range 4 may be set up such that thesprings are retained in their deflected condition by electrical powerthat is provided to the range 4 but are released in response to aninterruption of the supply of electrical power, such as in the form of afail-safe type of system. The springs can potentially be configured tobe released in response to any type of failure condition. These shutoffscan be provided in the vicinity of the range 4, or they alternativelycould be located deeper in the infrastructure of a dwelling, such as beproviding a system that switches off a circuit breaker that controls theelectrical circuit that supplies the range, or by providing a gasshutoff valve mechanism in the vicinity of a gas manifold that suppliesgas to various appliances in the dwelling. Other variations will beapparent.

The fire extinguisher 82 can be any of a variety of fire extinguishersthat are configured to supply materials that are intended to extinguisha fire on the range 4 in the vicinity of the burners 16ABCD and/or thevicinity of the oven 20. These materials can include any of a widevariety of materials such as carbon dioxide, sodium bicarbonate, halon,and the like without limitation. An actuator of the actuator apparatus74 is connected with the fire extinguisher 82 and can trigger itsoperation in response to any of a variety of predetermined conditions.

During operation, the notification system 8 detects an operated state ofthe range 4 and, in response thereto, the notification system 8 furtherexecutes one or more of the sound tags 68 on the processor apparatus 36to provide audible output signals that are representative of one or morespoken words which can be audibly discerned by a user upon being outputby the loudspeaker 72. With regard to detecting the operated state, thenotification system 8 can, for instance, detect with the rotationalposition sensors 44A-E that one or more of the controllers 24A-D and/or28 is in a particular rotational position and/or can detect that one ormore of the controllers 24A-D and/or 28 has been moved from onerotational position to another rotational position.

By way of example, the notification system 8 may detect that thecontroller 24C has been moved from an OFF rotational position to arotational position that corresponds with MEDIUM-LOW. In so doing, thenotification system 8 and, more particularly, the routines 64, wouldemploy a signal from the rotational position sensor 44C to detect theoperational level at which the user has set the burner 16C, i.e., theMEDIUM-LOW operational level. Similarly, the rotational position sensor44E might be employed to determine that the user has rotated thecontroller 28 to a rotational position that corresponds with threehundred seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit, which is the intendedoperational level of the oven 20.

Upon detecting that such controllers 24C and 28 have been placed at suchoperational levels, the routines 64 may retrieve sound tags 68 forexecution on the processor 36 to cause the loudspeaker 72 to outputsounds representative of spoken words such as “burner set to MEDIUM-LOW”and/or “oven set to three hundred seventy-five degrees”, and the like.That is, the routines 64 may output an audible confirmation of theoperational level at which the range 4 has been set. Further audibleconfirmations can be output if/when the user changes the operationallevel of the range 4.

Advantageously, the notification system 8 periodically outputs anotification that is representative of a duration of time that one ormore of the burners 16A-D and/or the oven 20 has remained in itsoperated state. For example, after twenty minutes of operation, thenotification system 8 may retrieve from the storage 60 a number of soundtags 68 which, when executed on the processor 56, cause the loudspeaker72 to output sounds representative of words such as “burner ON, twentyminutes” or “burner at MEDIUM-LOW, twenty minutes”, it being noted thatthe latter notification is indicative of both an operational level ofthe cooktop 12 and the duration of time that the cooktop 12 has remainedat that operational level. Likewise, after two hours of the oven 20operating at three hundred seventy-five degrees, the routines 64 mayretrieve from the storage 60 and execute on the processor 56 sound tags68 for outputting on the loudspeaker 72 audible sounds that arerepresentative of the wording “oven at three hundred seventy-fivedegrees, two hours” or “oven ON, one hundred twenty minutes”, etc.

Such notifications are periodically repeated, except with the durationof time being updated. That is, the next notifications occurring everyten minutes after the aforementioned notification might be, for example,“burner at MEDIUM-LOW, thirty minutes” and “burner at MEDIUM-LOW, fortyminutes”, etc. The period of repetition may be greater or shorter,depending upon the needs of the application, and the period may beuser-configurable. Also, the notifications may be configured to only beoutput after a predetermined period of time, say, thirty minutes, andthen be periodically output every, say, ten minutes thereafter. Theseare examples of periods that may be employed in configuring the range 4and the notification system 8 and are not intended to be limiting.

Since the range 4 can be simultaneously operated in a plurality ofoperated states, the notification system 8 may periodically outputnumerous audible notifications such as mentioned above. However, theroutine 64 may employ some logic to maximize its effectiveness. Forexample, if one of the burners 16A-D is switched into operation at afirst time and the oven 20 is switched into operation three minuteslater, the periodic outputting of notifications of continued operationof the one of the burners 16A-D and the oven 20 might occur regularlyalbeit at three minutes apart. If the notification system 8 isconfigured to provide such a notification every ten minutes, it can beseen that if all of the burners 16A-D (or additional burners, dependingupon the configuration of the range 4) and the oven 20 were started atdifferent times, a large number of notifications might be output on aseemingly continuous basis.

The aforementioned logic employed by the routine 64 thus might minimizethe number of notifications by providing only a single notificationregarding the cooktop 12, such as whichever of the notifications wouldrelate to the highest operational level of one of the burners 16A-D orthe greatest duration of operation of one of the burners 16A-D or acombination of both, by way of example. As such, the notification system8 might limit the notifications to a single notification related to thecooktop 12, regardless of the number of simultaneous operational levelsof the cooktop 12, with the notification being limited to what is mostlikely to be the notification in which the user is most interested.Also, a notification regarding the oven 20 could be output atsubstantially the same time as the notification for the cooktop 12 inorder to enable all of the notifications to be provided at substantiallyone time. For example, the notifications might be “cooktop MEDIUM-LOW,twenty minutes; oven three hundred seventy-five degrees, seventeenminutes”. Such a coordination of notifications advantageously recognizesthe potential for the user to begin to ignore the notifications if theyare provided too frequently. Moreover, it is possible that notificationsprovided regarding an operated state of one or more of the burners 16A-Dmay occur with greater frequency than a notification regarding the oven20. For example, it may be possible that flames, overcooking, and otherpossible undesirable situations are less likely to occur due to extendedcooking in the oven 20 compared with cooking on one of the burners16A-D. As such, the notification system 8 may provide notifications foran operated state of one or more of the burners 16A-D after every tenminutes of operation whereas the notification of the operation of theoven 20 might be performed only every twenty minutes, by way of example.

Further logic might be employed depending upon other factors. Forexample, the notifications might be output relatively more frequently,say, every five minutes for one of the burners 16A-D being operated atthe HIGH operational level or for the oven 20 on a BROIL setting. As afurther example, the sound volume that is output by the loudspeaker 72be might increased with each successive notification depending onfactors such as whether the duration of time exceeds a predeterminedamount. For instance, if one of the burners 16A-D is operated at MEDIUMfor more than two hours, or if one of the burners 16A-D is operated atHIGH for more than twenty minutes, the sound volume from the loudspeaker72 might incrementally increase with each notification and/or thenotifications may themselves be output more frequently. The inputapparatus 32 might also include a notification reset feature wherebysuch increased sound level and/or increased notification frequency maybe reset, such as when the user is fully aware of the operationalparameters of the range 4 and intends that the range 4 be operated insuch a fashion.

In this regard, it therefore can be understood that the notificationsystem 8 advantageously provides the aforementioned notifications inorder to make the user aware that the range 4 has been operated for acertain duration of time in order to avoid a dangerous operationalcondition if, for instance, a user has forgotten that the range 4 is inoperation or has been distracted from the fact of such operation, suchas due to one or more external events. Also, the increased sound levelsand increased frequency of audible outputs are helpful for persons whosehearing or vision is impaired because they increase the likelihood thatsuch a person will eventually hear the audible outputs.

The aforementioned wireless transceiver apparatus 42 provides furtherversatility because it enables wireless communication with otherdevices. Such other devices can serve not only to provide the variousnotifications to a user, but at least some can also be used to controlthe range 4. Moreover, they enable alarm notifications to becommunicated to remote locations. Example of wireless devices that areremote to the range 4 and that can be used in such a fashion wouldinclude mobile telephones, televisions, home security systems, laptopand desktop computers, and other devices.

For instance, a cellular telephone could have an application deployedthereon that will provide the audible notifications set forth above, andthat can also provide visual notifications on its display and tactilenotifications through its vibration system. The application further canenable the user to reduce an operating temperature or operational levelof the range 4. For example, a notification might include a string ofsound tags 68 as set forth above that are wirelessly communicated to thecellular telephone and are output thereon. Alternatively, the varioussound tags 68 may already be stored on the cellular telephone, and thenotification from the range 4 may be in the nature of a command tooutput certain of the stored sound tags 68 in a certain order.

The application may also give the user an option to adjust an operatingtemperature or operational level of the range 4. If the user interactswith the cellular telephone in such a fashion and enters a command to,say, reduce an oven temperature, the command will be wirelesslycommunicated from the cellular telephone to the range 4. Responsive tothe received command to reduce the oven temperature, the routines 64 onthe range 4 will cause an actuator of the actuator apparatus 74 tooperate the controller 28 to reduce the over temperature in accordancewith the command. Depending upon the parameters detected by thetemperature sensor 48 or the flame detector 52, the user may also begiven an option to activate the utility shutoff 78 or the fireextinguisher 82, and/or the user may be given an opportunity to have thecellular telephone dial nine-one-one or dial the local fire department,by way of example.

Further logic may be employed with respect to cellular communicationsdepending upon the needs of the particular application. For instance, inorder to communicate with a remote cellular telephone, the wirelesstransceiver apparatus 42 likely will include its own cellular telephonesystem which will communicate with a cellular network in order tointeract with the user's remote cellular telephone. As such, theroutines 64 may include a feature of automatically telephoningnine-one-one or the local fire department in any of a number ofpredetermined situations, such as if the flame detector 52 detects thepresence of a flame. Further logic may cause other operations to beperformed, such as automatically operating the fire extinguisher 82and/or the utility shutoff 78, if the routine 64 has automaticallydialed or is about to dial nine-one-one or the local fire department.

Alternatively, the routines 64 may be configured to be customized sothat the system provides notifications to the user's remote cellulartelephone only in emergency situations. In such a configuration, forexample, the user may configure the system such that the various stringsof sound tags 68 might not be output on the user's remote cellulartelephone, and rather only emergency notifications such as “FIRE!” wouldbe output. The user may then be given the opportunity to dialnine-one-one or the local fire department, or the user may be informedthat such a call was already automatically made and further informedthat, say, the fire extinguisher 82 has already been deployed.

As suggested above, notifications can also be provided with atelevision. That is, audible and visual notifications as described abovecan be output on a television set. In such a situation, the wirelesstransceiver apparatus 42 may wirelessly communicate with the televisionor may communicate with a cable feed via a remote transceiver that is incommunication with the cable feed. Depending upon whether the remotecontrol that is being used with the television also has an ability tointerface wirelessly with the range 4, such a remote control potentiallycan be used to control the range 4 in a fashion similar to the cellulartelephone and other devices mentioned herein.

Moreover, a laptop computer or desktop computer may be employed tooutput the notifications mentioned by providing visual outputs on thedisplay of the computer and by providing audible outputs with thespeakers of the computer. In such a situation, the wireless transceiverapparatus 42 may provide wireless communications that follow, forinstance, the IEEE 802.11 protocol to enable wireless interfacing withwireless computer networks of a type that many homeowners employ intheir homes. In such an implementation, the notifications that aregenerated by the processor apparatus 36 may be communicated via thewireless transceiver apparatus 42 to a device such as a wireless routeror other such remote wireless device which communicates the signalsbetween the range 4 and the computer. Potentially, the wirelesstransceiver apparatus 42 may wirelessly communicate directly with awireless communication system on the computer.

The wireless transceiver apparatus 42 may also be configured tocommunicate wirelessly with a security system that is configured toreceive wireless signals. For example, instead of the routines 64 beingconfigured to automatically dial nine-one-one or the local firedepartment, the routines can be configured to communicate an alarmcondition to a home security system, for instance, which triggers itsown fire alarm. This may result in a loud horn being sounded in thehouse and/or an automatic telephone call to a dispatching company whichmay telephone the user at home or may telephone the local firedepartment. Depending upon the configuration of the security system, thewireless transceiver apparatus 42 may additionally provide a wiredoutput that can be directly wired to the security system. In thisregard, such a wired output could be configured to alternatively beconnected with the aforementioned television, computer, or wirelessrouter, or with another remote device.

It is to be understood that the cellular telephone, television,computers, security system, and other remote devices mentioned hereinare intended to be exemplary in nature and not limiting. As such,virtually any remote electronic device that is designated by the user tointeract with the range 4 can be employed to receive signals from therange 4 and/or to send control or other signals to the range 4 forpurposes of providing notifications on the remote device and/orcontrolling the range 4 using the remote device. While examples ofwireless devices have been presented herein, it is understood that otherwired and wireless devices and systems that are physically remote fromthe range 4 can still be used to output the notifications from the range4 and to control the range 4.

Certain of the operations mentioned above are depicted in a flowchartthat is shown in FIG. 3. Processing may begin, as at 80, where it isdetermined whether the range 4 is in an operated state. If yes,processing continues, as at 82, where a notification is output if thenotification complies with whatever notification logic may be employedby the routine 64. For example, the logic might require that theduration of time be of a particular period, say, ten or twenty or thirtyminutes, by way of example, from the time it began the operated state,and/or according to any other logic that may be employed by the routine64, examples of which have been set forth above. Processing thencontinues to 84 where it is determined whether a predetermined conditionis determined to exist. The examples presented herein are the existenceof a flame detected by the flame detector 52 or the existence in thevicinity of the range 4 of an ambient temperature above a predeterminedtemperature as detected by the temperature sensor 48. If such acondition exists, an alarm notification such as the audible emergencynotification “FIRE!” is output, as at 86. If, however, it is determinedthat the predetermined condition does not exist, processing returns to80.

It thus can be seen that the improved range 4 with its improvednotification system 8 provides periodic various notifications, includingthe outputting of notifications that are representative of a duration oftime that the range 4 has been in an operated state. Other notificationsare provided in response to touch inputs with the use of the physicalcontact sensors 46A-E. The wireless transceiver apparatus 42 and theactuator apparatus 74 enable the notifications to occur and for controlto be provided with a remote device. The notifications can be tailoredby a user in terms of the frequency of notifications, the amount ofinformation in each notification, the sound volume of each notification,and the like. The notifications thus advantageously advise the user ofthe continued operation of the range 4 and help to avoid unintendedprolonged operation of the range 4, which thus resists the creation ofdangerous situations. The notification system 8 additionally includescomponents such as the temperature sensor 48 and the flame detector 52which can enable the detection of one or more predetermined conditionssuch as an excessive ambient temperature or a fire, which would be anemergency condition, and can correspondingly provide an emergencynotification such as “FIRE!” in the event of such an emergencycondition. Other features such as the utility shutoff 78 and the fireextinguisher 82 enable a dangerous situation to be ameliorated at therange 4. Variations of the foregoing will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art.

An improved range 104 in accordance with a second embodiment of thedisclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in FIG. 4. The range104 includes a notification system 108 that is similar to thenotification system 8. However, the range 104 includes a cooktop 112having burners 116A-D that are electronically actuated rather than beingmechanically actuated. Likewise, the range 104 includes an oven 120 thatis electronically actuated.

More specifically, the range 104 includes a plurality of controllers124A-D that each control one of the burners 116A-D, and further includesa controller 128 that controls the oven 120. Each of the controllers124A-D and 128 includes a number of electronic buttons or otheractuators rather than having physically rotatable knobs and rotationalposition sensors 44A-E as in the notification system 8.

More specifically, each of the controllers 124A-D and 128 includes anON/OFF button 146, an INCREASE button 150 having an arrow depictedthereon, and a DECREASE button 154 having another arrow depicted thereonthat points in an opposite direction. It is noted that in otherembodiments not expressly depicted herein, the controller 128 mayadditionally or alternatively include a numeric keypad for directnumeric input of a target temperature.

The controllers 124A-D and 128 each include a visual display 176 which,in the depicted exemplary embodiment, visually outputs a numericrepresentation of the operational level of the corresponding portion ofthe range 104. By way of example, the visual display 176 for each of thecontrollers 124A-D which each control one of the burners 116A-D, thevisual display 176 displays a single digit between “1” and “9”, by wayof example. The visual display 176 for the controller 128 outputs athree digit number representative of a temperature of the oven 120 whichcan be the temperature to which the oven 120 is set, the actualtemperature, or a combination of the two.

The notification system 108 is otherwise the same as the notificationsystem 8. That is, the controllers 124A-D and 128 provide input to therange 104 to dictate its operational levels and further provide input ofsuch operational levels to the notification system 108. In turn, thenotification system 108 provides periodic notifications that arerepresentative of a duration of time that a portion of the range 104 hasbeen in its operated state. The notifications can be the same as thoseset forth above with regard to the notification system 8, or theypotentially can be different based upon the needs of the configuration.

A notification system 208 in accordance with a third embodiment of thedisclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in FIG. 5 as beingcapable of being retrofitted onto an existing range 204. The range 204includes a plurality of controllers 224A-D and 228 which are depictedherein as being in the exemplary form of rotatable input shafts such asmight be connected with gas flow valves, rotational position sensors,rheostats, variable capacitors, and the like and which control theburners and/or oven of the range 204.

As mentioned, the notification system 208 is configured to enable it tobe retrofitted to range 204, which is a conventional range. FIG. 5depicts that the original control knobs of the range 204 have alreadybeen removed, thus exposing the controllers 224A-D and 228, to which thenotification system 208 is mounted. More particularly, the notificationsystem 208 is in the form of a plurality of burner knobs 226A-D whichare each connected with one of the controllers 224A-D which control theburners of the range 204. The notification system 208 further includesan oven knob 230 that is mounted to the controller 228, which is incontrol of the oven of the range 204.

The burner knobs 226A-D and the oven knob 230 can each be said toinclude a support 210 and to further include a notification component214 situated on the support 210. The support 210 is generally in theform of a knob-shaped piece of material, such as injection moldedplastic material or other material. The notification components 214, oneof which is depicted schematically in FIG. 6, are each similar to thenotification system 8, except that an individual notification component214 is incorporated into each of the burner knobs 226A-D and the ovenknob 230. FIG. 6 schematically depicts the burner knob 226A by showingthe schematically depicted notification component 214 situated on aschematically depicted support 210.

Each notification component 214 includes an input apparatus 232, aprocessor apparatus 236, and an output apparatus 240. Each inputapparatus 232 of the exemplary depicted embodiment includes a rotationalposition sensor 244, a temperature sensor 248, and a flame detector 252.Each processor 236 includes a processor 256 and a storage 260 upon whichare stored one or more routines 264 and a plurality of sound tags 268.Each output apparatus 240 includes a loudspeaker 272 and may optionallyalso include a visual display 276.

In operation, the burner knobs 226A-D and the oven knob 230 each operateindependently to detect that their corresponding controllers 224A-D and228 are in positions (or have been rotated to positions) that areindicative of an operated state of a corresponding portion of the range204. Responsive thereto, the burner knobs 226A-D and the oven knob 230each periodically output a notification that is representative of aduration of time that the corresponding portion of the range 204 hasbeen in the operated state. As before, the notifications can berepresentative of spoken words that are audibly output by theloudspeaker 272 and can have the other features mentioned above.Moreover, each of the controllers 224A-D and 228 can detect in thevicinity of the range 204 a predetermined condition such as a fire or anambient temperature that has exceeded a predetermined level, although inalternative embodiments it may be desirable to have only one of thecontrollers 224A-D and 228 include such features.

The notification system 208 thus can advantageously be retrofitted to anexisting range 204 to form an improved range that provides the safetyand emergency notifications set forth above.

An improved notification system 308 in accordance with a fourthembodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted in FIG. 7.The notification system 308 is similar to the notification system 208and can be retrofitted onto an existing range such as the range 204 ofFIG. 5. The notification system 308 likewise includes a plurality ofburner knobs 326A-D and an oven knob 330, each of which includes asupport 310. However, the notification system 308 is different from thenotification system 208 since the notification system 308 furtherincludes a base unit 334 in communication with the burners knobs 326A-Dand the oven knob 330. The base unit 334 advantageously includes certaincomponents of the notification system 308, which avoids duplication ofsuch components on each of the burner knobs 326A-D and the oven knob330.

More specifically, the notification system 308 can be said to include aninput apparatus 332 that is distributed across the burner knobs 326A-Dand the oven knob 330. The notification unit 308 further includes aprocessor apparatus 336 and an output apparatus 340 that are situated onthe base unit 334. In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the base unit334 is in wireless communication with the burner knobs 326A-D and theoven knob 330, although other types of communication systems can beemployed without departing from the present concept.

For instance, the burners knobs 326A-D and the oven knob 330 eachinclude the aforementioned support 310 and further include an inputcomponent 318 disposed on the support 310. An exemplary schematicdepiction of one of the input components 318 is shown in FIG. 8 as beingdisposed on the support 310 to form the exemplary burners knob 326A. Itis understood that the input components 318 of the burners knobs 326A-Dand the oven knob 330 together form the input apparatus 332, as isschematically depicted in FIG. 7.

As can be seen in FIG. 8, the input component 318 includes a rotationalposition sensor 344, a temperature sensor 348, and a flame detector 352,although it is understood that the temperature sensor 348 and the flamedetector 352 potentially need not be provided on each of the inputcomponents 318. The input component 318 additionally includes aprocessor 354 which is in communication with the rotational positionsensor 344, the temperature sensor 348, and the flame detector 352 inorder to receive input signals therefrom and to generate output signalsthat are provided to a wireless communication system 358 of the inputcomponent 318. Each wireless communication system 358 of the burnersknobs 326A-D and the oven knob 330 is in wireless communication with thebase unit 334.

More particularly, and as is depicted generally in FIG. 9, the base unit334 has the processor apparatus 336 and the output apparatus 340disposed thereon. The processor apparatus 336 includes a processor 356and a storage 360 having a number of routines 364 and a plurality ofsound tags 368 stored therein. The processor apparatus 336 furtherincludes a wireless communication system 362 that is in wirelesscommunication with each of the wireless communication systems 358 andthat provides to the processor 356 input signals representative of thesignals that were generated and output by the processor 354.

As before, the routines 364 are executable on the processor 356 toprovide output signals to the loudspeakers 372 in the form of periodicaudible notifications that are representative of a duration of time thatan apparatus (such as a range to which the notification system 308 hasbeen retrofitted) has been in an operated state. An optional visualdisplay 376 can provide on the base unit 334 and can include warninglights, numeric displays, and the like that reflect the operationallevel of such a range. By providing the processor apparatus 336 and theoutput apparatus 340 on the base unit 334, these components can beshared by the burners knobs 326A-D and the oven knob 330 rather thanhaving to be separately provide such components on each of the burnersknobs 326A-D and the oven knob 330, which can result in a cost savings.Also, by providing all of the notifications on the base unit 334, theaforementioned logic can be advantageously employed to output thevarious audible notifications in a fashion that is tailored to avoid auser eventually ignoring the notifications.

It thus can be seen that several embodiments of the notification system8, 108, 208, and 308 advantageously provide periodic outputs ofnotifications that are representative of a duration of time that anapparatus such as a range has been in an operated state. Thenotifications can be in of any of a variety of forms and advantageouslyreduce the risks that are inherent in operating the apparatus, such aswhen operating the apparatus for an extended period of time, byinforming a user of a continued operated state of the apparatus.

Although the foregoing discussion has presented specific embodiments,persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made inform and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of theembodiments to achieve similar functionality and utility to theexemplary embodiments disclosed herein. Moreover, it should beappreciated that features from a particular embodiment may beimplemented in another embodiment disclosed herein to achieve a desiredfunctionality. Accordingly, the specific embodiments described hereinshould be understood as examples and not limiting the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing an indication regarding an apparatus that is structured to be switched between one state and an operated state, the method comprising: detecting at least one of: that the apparatus has been switched to the operated state, and that the apparatus is in the operated state; and periodically outputting a notification representative of a duration of time that the apparatus has remained in the operated state.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting as at least a portion of the notification an audible sound tag representative of at least a first spoken word that corresponds with the duration of time that the apparatus has remained in the operated state.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining an operational level of the apparatus; and outputting as at least a portion of the notification an audible sound tag representative of at least a first spoken word that corresponds with the operational level.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting the operational level by detecting at least one of: a rotation of a rotatable device away from an initial rotational position; and a current rotational position of the device.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting in the vicinity of the apparatus an existence of a predetermined condition; and outputting another notification representative of the predetermined condition.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: detecting as the predetermined condition a flame in the vicinity of the apparatus; and outputting as the another notification at least a first spoken word that is representative of the existence of the flame.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing at least one of: triggering a fire extinguisher of the apparatus; and operating a utility shutoff connected with the apparatus.
 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising detecting as the predetermined condition a parameter that is in the vicinity of the apparatus and that is at a level that exceeds a predetermined level.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting as the predetermined condition an ambient temperature in the vicinity of the apparatus that has exceeded a predetermined temperature.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: employing the first device in the detecting; wirelessly communicating at least one of a signal from the first device and a signal to the second device; and employing the second device in the outputting.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting that the apparatus is in the operated state by detecting at least one of: a rotation of a device away from an initial rotational position; and a current rotational position of the device.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the detecting and the outputting: detecting a touch input on a controller of the apparatus; and providing an audible notification representative of an identity of the controller.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: wirelessly receiving from a remote device a command representative of a change to the operated state; and changing the operated state in accordance with the command.
 14. A notification system for use in conjunction with an apparatus that is structured to be switched between one state and an operated state, the notification system comprising: a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a storage; an input apparatus structured to provide input signals to the processor apparatus; an output apparatus structured to receive output signals from the processor apparatus; the storage having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the notification system to perform operations comprising: detecting at least one of: that the apparatus has been switched to the operated state, and that the apparatus is in the operated state; and periodically outputting a notification representative of a duration of time that the apparatus has remained in the operated state.
 15. The notification system of claim 14 wherein the storage further has stored therein a number of sound tags which, when output by the output apparatus, are in the form of one or more audible spoken words, and wherein the operations further comprise outputting as at least a portion of the notification an audible sound tag representative of at least a first spoken word that corresponds with the duration of time that the apparatus has remained in the operated state.
 16. The notification system of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise: determining an operational level of the apparatus; and outputting as at least a portion of the notification an audible sound tag representative of at least a first spoken word that corresponds with the operational level.
 17. The notification system of claim 16 wherein the input apparatus comprises a rotatable device, and wherein the operations further comprise detecting the operational level by detecting at least one of: a rotation of the device away from an initial rotational position; and a current rotational position of the device.
 18. The notification system of claim 14 wherein the operations further comprise: detecting in the vicinity of the apparatus an existence of a predetermined condition; and outputting another notification representative of the predetermined condition.
 19. The notification system of claim 18 wherein the input apparatus comprises a flame detector, and wherein the operations further comprise: detecting as the predetermined condition a flame in the vicinity of the apparatus; and outputting as the another notification at least a first spoken word that is representative of the existence of the flame.
 20. The notification system of claim 18, further comprising detecting as the predetermined condition a parameter that is in the vicinity of the apparatus and that is at a level that exceeds a predetermined level.
 21. The notification system of claim 20 wherein the input apparatus comprises a temperature sensor, and wherein the operations further comprise detecting as the predetermined condition an ambient temperature in the vicinity of the apparatus that has exceeded a predetermined temperature.
 22. The notification system of claim 14 wherein the input apparatus comprises a first device and the output apparatus comprises a second device, and wherein at least one of the input apparatus and the output apparatus further comprises a wireless communication device, and wherein the operations further comprise: employing the first device in the detecting; wirelessly communicating at least one of a signal from the first device and a signal to the second device; and employing the second device in the outputting.
 23. The notification system of claim 14, further comprising detecting that the apparatus is in the operated state by detecting at least one of: a rotation of a device away from an initial rotational position; and a current rotational position of the device.
 24. The notification system of claim 14 wherein the input apparatus comprises a sensor apparatus and a support, at least a portion of the sensor apparatus being disposed on the support, the support being structured to be mounted to a portion of a controller of the apparatus, at least a portion of the sensor apparatus being structured to be employed in detecting an operational level of the apparatus.
 25. The notification system of claim 24 wherein the sensor apparatus comprises a rotational sensor, wherein the support is structured to be mounted on a rotatable input shaft of the controller, and wherein the processor apparatus is structured to detect as being indicative of the operational level of the apparatus at least one of: a current rotational position of the support, and a change in rotational position of the support.
 26. The notification system of claim 25 wherein the sensor apparatus further comprises another sensor that is structured to be employed in detecting in the vicinity of the apparatus an existence of a predetermined condition, and wherein the operations further comprise outputting another notification representative of the predetermined condition.
 27. The notification system of claim 26 wherein the another sensor is at least one of: a temperature sensor that is structured to be employed in detecting as the predetermined condition an ambient temperature in the vicinity of the apparatus that has exceeded a predetermined temperature; and a flame detector that is structured to be employed in detecting as the predetermined condition an existence of a flame in the vicinity of the apparatus.
 28. The notification system of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the processor apparatus is disposed on the support and at least a portion of the output apparatus is disposed on the support, the output apparatus comprising an output element that is disposed on the support and that is structured to perform the periodic outputting of the notification.
 29. The notification system of claim 24 wherein the output apparatus comprises an output element and another support, the output element being disposed on the another support, the input apparatus being one of a plurality of input apparatuses that are similar to one another and that are in communication with the output apparatus, the output element being structured to perform the periodic outputting of the notification.
 30. The notification system of claim 24 wherein the input apparatus comprises a plurality of the sensor apparatuses and a plurality of the supports, at least a portion of each of the plurality of sensor apparatuses being disposed on a corresponding one of the plurality of supports, the plurality of supports each being structured to be retrofitted to a portion of corresponding controller of a plurality of the controllers of the apparatus, the apparatus being structured to be simultaneously operable at a plurality of operational levels, at least a portion of each of the plurality of sensor apparatuses being structured to be employed in detecting an operational level from among the plurality of operational levels of the apparatus, the output apparatus being structure to periodically output a notification representative of a duration of time that the apparatus has remained in at least one operational level.
 31. The notification system of claim 30 wherein the output apparatus comprises an output element and another support, the output element being disposed on the another support, the output apparatus being in wireless communication with each of the plurality of sensor apparatuses and being structured to output as the notification representative of the duration of time an output representative of a wireless signal originated from any of the plurality of plurality of the sensor apparatuses.
 32. The notification system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the input apparatus and the output apparatus comprises a wireless transceiver apparatus that is structured to communicate wirelessly with a remote device.
 33. The notification system of claim 32 wherein the output apparatus comprises an actuator apparatus structured that is to actuate an additional device responsive to a command received by the wireless transceiver apparatus.
 34. A cooking apparatus that comprises the notification system of claim 14 and that is structured to be switched between one state and an operated state, the cooking apparatus being structured to generate cooking heat when in the operated state. 